Elliott e



E. E. FURNEY..

Hatohway.

Patenyted Jan. 6,1880.d

IUIHHN.`

UNTTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLIOTT E. FURNEY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF HISRIGHT TO DARWIN L. SKIDMORE AND CHRISTOPHER O. HARRIS, OF

SAME PLACE.

HATGHWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,284, dated January6, 1880. Application filed Augusti, 1879.

St.Louis, Missouri, have made a new and useful Improvement in Elevators,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the annexed drawing, making part of thisspecification, inwhich an elevator having the improvement is shown inperspective.

The present invention relates to an improved construction for closingthe hatchways of an elevator-shaft saving when the car is passing; anditconsists,mainly`,in peculiarlyconstruoted and arranged hatches, incombination with a car provided with means for operating the hatches,substantially as hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawing, A represents the elevator-car, which, savingas modified by the present improvement, may be of the ordinarydescription. B B represent the usual guides, and C O portions of iioorsof successive stories of the building.

E E E E are the hatches or doors used to close the hatchways. Thehatches are hinged at e c c c to brackets F F F F, which depend from theiioors O C', respectively, the level of the hinges being sufficientlylow and the hatches of suitable size to cause the latter, when closed,to be inclined together, as shown, and when opened, either by anascending or descending car, to be turned back against or toward thebrackets F F.

The hatches are preferably made imperforate and to close closelytogether, and they are cut away at their corners e2 c2 to tit around theguides 0.0. The brackets F F are also preferably' in the form of closepartitions or walls, for while an open-work construction might answer toprevent things from falling through the hatchways, it would not cut oi'the passage of fire and smoke.

At their upper edges, c3 e3, the hatches are furnished with lips oriianges e4 c5, which eX- tend upward from the edges c3 e3, and whichflare from each other, as shown, the lips et diverging from the lips c5.The lips may eX- tend the entire length of the edges c3, if desired. i

The car A, on its under side, and at points opposite the lips e4 e5, isfurnished with wedgeshaped projections a a. On its top it is preferablyprovided with projections a'a, that may be in the form of rollers, andwhich are arranged to encounter the under side of the hatches as the caris elevated.

The operation is as follows: As the car rises the rollers a a', coming'against the hatches overhead, cause the latter to be turned on theirhinges and opened apart sufficiently for the car to pass. As soon asthis has occurred the hatches, being properly balanced therefor, falltogether again, closing the hatchway. As the car descends theprojections a a enter between the diverging lips e* e5, causing thehatches to be turned back toward the brackets, and permitting the car topass down between them. The hatches then close together again, asbefore. l The principal advantage of the present de vice is, that byreason of the mode of hanging the hatches as described, the iioors donot need to be cut into to providel room for the hatches when opened,and no space is occupied by the hatches that is needed for otherpurposes.

A further advantage is this: The hatches do not open downward by anyobject falling upon them, and do not open at all unless a wedge isinserted between the edges e3 c3.

The brackets can be so made and arranged,

as well as the hatches, as to provide space into which things fallingonto the hatches may roll and not be crushed by the hatches in opening.

The rollers or projections a c may be arranged lo strike the hatches ator near the edges c3 c3, instead of near the hinges, as shown, and, sofar as lifting the hatches is concerned, the invention is operativewithout using any projection whatever upon the upper end of the car. Itis much better', however, to employ some kind of projection, and in theform of rollers, as shown.

In case the edges e3 e ot' the hatches are sufficiently apart for theprojections a c to enter between and open the hatches apart, the Haringlips e4 e5 may in some cases be dispensed with.

2 Maese I am aware that elevator-hatches have been forced horizontallyapart by means of Wedgeshaped projections upon the car, and that theyhave been arranged to turn up and turn down by the ascent and descent,respectively, of the car; but as the first-named construction wouldrequire the iloor to be cut into to provide room for the hatches whenopened, and as the lastthat is, hatches which turn down-Would be openedby any falling object,'neither of such constructions would answer mypresent purpose, and I disclaim them.

I claiml. The combination of the car A, having the Wedge-shapedprojections a e, the hatches E E, and the brackets F F, said hatches,both when the car is descending as well as ascending, turningl upon thehinges c c against or toward the brackets, for the purposes set forth,and substantially as described.

2. The combination of the car A, having the projections a a., thehatches E E, having the lips cil e5, and the brackets F F, said hatches,bot-h When the car is descending as well asascending, turning upon thehinges e e against or toward the brackets, for the purposes set forth,and substantially as described.

3. The combination of the car A, having the projections a a and a a',the hatches E E, having the lips e4 e5, and the brackets F F, saidhatches, both when the car is descending as Well as ascending, turningupon the hinges c e against or toward the brackets, for the purposes setforth, and substantially as described.

Witness my hand.

E. E. FURNEY.

WVitnesses:

CHAs. D. MOODY, E. H. TWINING.

